Aerosol dispenser



y 1967 R. H. ABPLANALP 3,319,669

AEROSOL DISPENSER Original Filed May 29, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .v I \KI 21 4 /7 4 3 j H .JJ.

% ,74 3 'll 72 5 l0 ma Ca 6 P l K INVENTOR P0607 Hem! Hip/471040 ATTORNEY 1967 R. H. ABPLANALP 3,319,669

AEROSOL DISPENSER Original Filed May 29, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet ENTOR Kobe/ 1 Henr IN bp/anal a ATTORNEY United States Patent On ice 3,319,669 Patented May 16, 1967 3,319,669 AEROSOL DISPENSER Robert Henry Abpianalp, 10 Hewitt Ave., Bronxville, N.Y. 10708 Continuation of a plication Ser. No. 284,225, May 29, 1963. This application Aug. 15, 1966, Ser. No. 575,489 4 Claims. (Cl. 14120) This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 284,225, filed May 29, 1963, now abandoned.

This invention is an aerosol dispenser and is directed more particularly to improvements which will permit rapid charging of such dispensers with a propellant after the dispenser has been sealed with the active ingredient therein.

While the invention may be used with aerosol dispensers varying in structural details, it is primarily directed to dispensers having valves of the general character disclosed in the following patent, namely, United States Patent No. 2,631,814.

The dispenser of the foregoing patent is provided with a valve supported within a so-called pedestal, formed in a mounting cup which constitutes a part of the dispenser container. This mounting cup has at its top a circular opening through which the tubular stem of the valve projects. The edge of this opening closely embraces the valve stem in order to support it against tilting, but with sufiicient clearance between these parts to permit free axial reciprocation f the valve stem and consequent operation of the valve.

The valve sealing member of this particular dispenser is a resilient annular sealing disk, permanently clamped at its outer periphery between the pedestal and the valve housing while its inner periphery is normally seated within a peripheral channel in the valve stem, commonly referred to as the neck of said stem. In this neck is one or more relatively small openings and the inner periphery of the annular disk embraces the neck tightly enough to seal said openings. These openings lead to the passage through the interior of the tubular valve stem which is provided at its outer end with a valve operating button. The button has a discharge outlet through which material in the container may be discharged when the button is depressed to lower the valve stem and downwardly bend the inner marginal portion of the sealing disk sufficiently to uncover the openings in the neck of the valve stem.

In practice, an active ingredient, such as a deodorant, is deposited in such a container, the container'is then sealed by inserting the mounting cup with valve therein,

and then the container is charged with a propellant. This propellant is introduced either through the tubular valve stem to which a valve operating push button has been previously attached or through the valve stem before attaching the push button. In either case, the propellant is caused to flow through the hollow valve stem and through the relatively small inlet openings in the neck thereof, into the interior of the container and at the same time some of the propellant is fed through the constricted space between the valve stem and the edge of the opening in the top surface of the container, which is thus employed as a propellant inlet opening. The valve stem is, of course, depressed to unseal the valve during the charging of the container. In either case, charging through the valve stem may be rather slow because the relatively small openings in the neck of the valve preclude the rapid flow of propellant therethrough. Also, the opening exteriorly of the valve stem is of such con stn'ctcd character as to likewise preclude rapid charging, notwithstanding the fact that the propellant is under relatively high pressure. This pressure is suflicient so that so much of it as enters the constricted opening exterior of the valve stem will bend down the inner margin of the valve stem, so as to .permit the passage of some of the propellant through this constricted opening and pass the sealing element into the container.

Very little can be done to increase the volume of the propellant that can be charged through the valve stem because the relatively small openings in the neck thereof are generally calibrated according to the material in the container to be dispensed. Therefore, the only hope of shortening the charging time is through the provision of greater propellant entry area exteriorly of the valve stem.

This presented the problem of obtaining this greater propellant inlet area while preserving the guidance of the valve stem and its holding against tilting. After much study and experimentation, it was discovered that this could be obtained by shaping the edge of the conventional constricted opening so that it would at different points in the circumference of the valve stem serve to support the valve while at other portions of said circumference the opening would be enlarged to provide sufficiently increased inlet area to produce the results desired. For example, the increased inlet areas may be obtained by scalloping the edge of the valve guiding opening, which scallops may be undulating in form or may be in the nature of castellations, serrations, or any similar equivalent configuration.

Another way of accomplishing this result is to leave the opening for the valve stem in its conventional form, and provide additional openings spaced in an outward radial direction from the conventional valve stem opening. In any event, the increased inlet areas must overlie the inner marginal portion of the resilient sealing member. enlarged area will cause propellant under high pressure (800 lbs. or more per square inch) to be impressed upon the upper surface of the sealing member and cause the latter to be bent downwardly to thereby open an unobstructed passage for the propellant into the associated container.

Features of the invention, other than those adverted to, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description and appended claims, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. 7

The accompanying drawing illustrates different practical embodiments of the invention, but the constructions therein shown are to be understood as illustrative only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a central section showing one form of valve with a valve operating button on its valve stem, and a fragmental portion of a container embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a central section of the valve of FIG. 1 with an associated propellant charging head acting on the valve in a manner to eflect charging of the associated container.

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line s s of FIG. 1, showing a top view of the pedestal and the valve stem in section.

FIG. 4 is a view like FIG. 3, but showing a modified form of propellant inlet openings in the wall of the con. tainer.

FIG. 5 is a central section corresponding to FIG. 2, but showing a way of charging the valve without a valve operating button on the valve stem.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a mounting cup forming part of the container 2. The mounting cup has a hollow upstanding pedestal part 3. Within this pedestal is seated the upper part of a valve housing 4 secured to the pedestal by pressing portions 5 thereof into an annular channel in the valve housing, as shown.

When this invention is employed, the openings of- Within the valve housing is a valve body 6 having a tubular valve stem 7 which projects upwardly through an 7 opening 8 in the top of the pedestal and carries a push button 9 of any desired form. The valve stem 7 is provided near its base with a reduced neck 10 having therein one or more openings 11. A resilient sealing disk 12, preferably of natural or synthetic rubber, is clamped at its outer margin between the valve body and an abutment shoulder formed by the top wall surface of the pedestal so as to undelie the under surface shoulder of the top wall of said pedestal. The sealing member 12 is of annular form and its inner periphery normally closely embraces the neck 10 in such manner as to seal the openings 11. The inner rim of the sealing member is, as shown in FIG. 1, housed between a flat lower shoulder 13 at the top of the valve body 6 and an upper tapered shoulder 14 formed on the valve stem 7, the opening or openings 11 being between these shoulders. A spring 13 elevates the valve body 6 into its normal position shown in FIG. 1.

In the drawings, the push button is provided with one or more passages 16 which extend upwardly from the lower surface of the button within the confines of a downwardly projecting annular sealing member of any appropriate form, for example, the rib 17, to the exterior surface of the button.

In the normal sealing position of the parts shown in FIG. 1, material is dispensed by pressing down on the valve button 9. This causes the inner margin of the sealing member to be bent downwardly, so that material may flow from the interior of the container upwardly through the usual eduction tube 18, through the valve housing and then between the downwardly bent inner rim of the sealing disk, through the openings 11 into the interior of the tubular valve stem. After flowing upwardly through the stem, it enters the passages 19 in the push button from which it is discharged to the atmosphere through the discharge outlet 20.

The foregoing description deals with a dispenser and its valve and push button which are known. The present invention is directed to an improvement in a valve having a resilient sealing disk of the general character described, without limitation to the particular specific details of the Valve itself. Thus, the present invention is directed to the provision, within that portion of the pedestal which overlies the inner portion of the sealing disk, of one or more enlarged charging openings 21.

The enlarged opening or openings 21 may vary in shape without departing from the spirit of this invention, but a very convenient form of enlarged opening is shown best in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3 the interior edge of the top of the pedestal, which heretofore was circular and disposed in close proximity to the valve stem 7, is provided with a scalloped or undulating edge. The innermost portions 22 of said edge are closely spaced from the valve stem 7 so as to afford stability against tilting of said stem, While the remaining portions 23 of the scallops extend to some little distance outwardly from the valve stem to provide enlarged areas or openings 21 for the entrance of propellant into the interior of the pedestal. The scallops shown in FIG. 3 are of curvilinear shape, although the edges of said areas may be castellated, ser rated, square, or of any other appropriate shape which will furnish proper support for the valve stem and also provide for the enlarged inlet area for the propellant.

Instead of forming the openings 21 by appropriate shaping of the interior edge of the top of the pedestal, the openings 21', which correspond in function to the openings '21, may be in the form of perforations 25 spaced radically outwardly from the central clearance opening 8, as shown in FIG. 4. These perforations may be of any size, shape and number required to provide the enlarged entry space for the propellant.

When the pedestal is provided with the aforesaid enlarged propellant inlets, they function in the manner shown in FIG. 2. In this figure, the charging head 26 of a charging machine is brought into cooperative relation with the container and the valve thereon. This charging head has an interior chamber 27 having the usual inlet valve 28. The lower end of this chamber is sealed by engagement of a peripheral flange 29 on the button with a seat 34} at the base of the chamber 27.

As the charging head 26 is lowered, it depresses the push button and valve stem and opens the valve from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position approximately shown in FIG. 2, at which time the button rib 17 engages with the top surface of the pedestal and forms a circular chamber 31 which is thereby sealed from the atmosphere. During this operation, the inner margin of the sealing ring 12 is bent downwardly, so as .to uncover the opening 11 in the neck of the valve stem, but said inner margin remains in contact with the tapered upper shoulder 14 at the base of the valve stem.

When this has been accomplished, the valve 28 is opened to admit pressurized propellant to the chamber 27 from which it is free to flow through the discharge outlet 20 and passage 19 of the button into and through the tubular valve stem and through the opening 11 in the neck of the stem into the interior of the valve housing 4 and through the eduction tube 18 into the container.

At the same time propellant will flow from the chamber 27 through the passages 16 of the push button into the circular chamber 31 at the base of the push button and will be exerted'through the enlarged spaces 21 or 21' upon the upper surface of the sealing disk 12. Inasmuch as the propellant is under several hundred pounds pressure, this pressurized propellant will press against the upper surface of the inner margin of the resilient sealing disk and will cause that portion of the disk to be bent downwardly and outwardly as shown in FIG. 2, sufficiently to provide considerable space between that portion of the sealing disk and the tapered upper shoulder 14 at the base of the valve stem, as clearly shown in FIG. 2. Said propellant is then free to bypass the inner margin of the sealing disk and enter into the valve housing 4 from which it freely flows into the container or eduction tube 18.

The charging procedure hereinbefore described and shown in FIG. 2 is carried out with a valve operating button in place on the valve stem. However, such charging may be performed without such a button in place thereon. FIG. 5 shows such a procedure. Here the wall of the container 1 is provided with a pedestal'3, as in the preceding figures, and this pedestal supports the valve housing 4- having therein a valve body 6 with tubular valve stem and a sealing member 12, as hereinbefore described, all parts of the valve and its container being the same as in FIG. 1. The charging head 30 is provided with a rubber sealing gasket 33 adapted to form a hermetic seal with the pedestal 3 and said charging head has a part 34 which carries a propellant inlet valve '35. A passage leads from the seat of the valve 35 to a slot 36 in the lower end of the part 34 and said lower end is adapted to rest on the upper end of the valve stem 7 to force the latter downwardly and open the valve for the charging operation.

When the valve stem is thus pressed downwardly, the inner margin of the sealing member 3 remains in contact with the tapered shoulder 14 of the valve stem neck until the valve 35 is opened to admit propellant under pressure into the chamber of the charging head. This pressure will act through the enlarged propellant inlet openings 21, as hereinbefore described, to then bend down the inner portion of the sealing disk, as shown in FIG. 5, so that propellant may rapidly enter the container in such relatively large volumes as to expeditiously charge the container.

In the meantime some propellant will also be fed through the interior of the valve stem and through the relatively small openings 11 in the neck of such stem, but these openings will admit a much smaller amount of propellant than will be admitted through the openings 21, so that the filling through the valve stem becomes secondary in character.

In either method of charging hereinbefore described, the increased area of impingement of the pressurized propellant upon the upper surface of the sealing disk is more than sufiicient to provide for the flow of propellant as described about the exterior of the valve stem and into the container. The time of charging a container having a valve without these enlarged propellant entrance openings is by this invention very materially shortened and thus the charging of the container greatly speeded up. Moreover, this result is accomplished without adding any additional expense to the manufacture of a dispenser embodying this invention and without in anywise complicated apparatus and methods of manufacturing the parts or carrying out the charging operation.

It should be understood that the provision of the enlarged openings in the top of the pedestal will in nowise afiect the normal household use of dispenser embodying this invention, for the following reasons:

When the valve is closed with the sealing disk in normally flat condition, the inner margin of the sealing disk 12 will underlie and seal all of the propellant inlet openings around the valve stem, while the inner periphery of said disk will serve to seal the openings 11 through the neck of the valve stem and the tapered shoulder 14 of the valve stem will also form an additional seal with the disk. Also the upward pressure of the valve body against the under side of the sealing disk will additionally form another seal at the shoulder 13. All these seals collectively function to preclude leakage in the normal posi- V tions of the parts.

However, when the valve is operated to dispense material from the container, there will be no fluid pressure against the upper side of the sealing disk. The pressure of the material within the container will be directed against the under side of the sealing disk and this pressure, together with the resiliency of the sealing member, will hold the inner margin of said sealing member firmly against the tapered shoulder 14 of the stem neck, so that, when the push button is pressed to open the valve, the inner margin of the sealing disk will strongly continue to press against the tapered portion of such neck and form therewith a seal so that there can be no leakage around the exterior of the valve stem during dispensing operations.

The accompanying drawings show, for the purpose of illustration, a particular type of valve with a particular kind of valve operating push button. It should be understood, however, that any appropriate push button may be employed and any valve utilizing a resilient sealing disk acting in substantially the manner hereinbefore described. The present invention is thus directed to the enlarged propellant inlet areas hereinbefore described functioning in the manner described.

The foregoing detailed description sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms, but the invention is to be understood as fully commensurate with the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An aerosol container having a top wall supporting a dispensing valve comprising a hollow valve housing, the interior of which communicates with the interior of the container, a valve body within said housing having an operable valve stem projecting through a guide opening in said top wall with sufficiently close spacing between the edge of said opening and stem to keep the valve stem from excessive tilting, an annular resilient sealing disk having a central aperture embracing the valve stem to serve as a valve seal and having its outer margin clamped between the upper edge of the hollow valve housing and an overlying part of the top Wall of the container, and at least one additional opening in said top wall positioned radially outwardly of the edge of the guide opening and in communication with the central aperture of the resilient sealing disk such that upon delivery of propellant under pressure from the exterior of the container the inner portion of the sealing disk is deflected downwardly to unseal the periphery of the central aperture from the valve stem to permit delivery of propellant to the interior of the container through the central aperture of the sealing disk.

2. An aerosol container having a top wall supporting a dispensing valve, comprising a hollow valve housing, the interior of which communicates with the interior of the container, a valve body within said housing having an operable valve stem projecting through an opening in said top wall, an annular resilient sealing disk having a central aperture embracing the valve stem to serve as a valve seal and having its outer margin clamped between the upper edge of the hollow valve housing and an overlying part of the top wall of the container, portions of the boundary of the opening in the top wall being sufiicient- 1y closely spaced with respect to said valve stem to keep the stem from excessive tilting, and other portions of the boundary of said opening being positioned radially outwardly of the first portions, thereby defining areas extending away from said valve stem, which areas are in communication with the central aperture in the resilient sealing disk such that upon delivery of propellant under pressure from the exterior of the container the inner portion of the sealing disk is deflected downwardly to unseal the periphery of the central aperture from the valve stem to permit delivery of propellant to the interior of the container through the central aperture of the sealing disk.

3. An aerosol container according to claim 2, wherein the opening in the top Wall is of a substantially scalloped configuration.

4. An aerosol container according to claim 2, wherein the opening in the top wall is of a substantially castellated configuration.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,890,817 6/1959 Rheinstrom 14l20 X 2,961,131 1 11/1960 Bradbury 1413 X 3,158,298 11/1964 Briechle 14120 X 3,160,182 12/ 1964 ODonnell 14120 3,237,659 3/1966 Albrecht 14120 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner. H. S. BELL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN AEROSOL CONTAINER HAVING A TOP WALL SUPPORTING A DISPENSING VALVE COMPRISING A HOLLOW VALVE HOUSING, THE INTERIOR OF WHICH COMMUNICATES WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER, A VALVE BODY WITHIN SAID HOUSING HAVING AN OPERABLE VALVE STEM PROJECTING THROUGH A GUIDE OPENING IN SAID TOP WALL WITH SUFFICIENTLY CLOSE SPACING BETWEEN THE EDGE OF SAID OPENING AND STEM TO KEEP THE VALVE STEM FROM EXCESSIVE TILTING, AN ANNULAR RESILIENT SEALING DISK HAVING A CENTRAL APERTURE EMBRACING THE VALVE STEM TO SERVE AS A VALVE SEAL AND HAVING ITS OUTER MARGIN CLAMPED BETWEEN THE UPPER EDGE OF THE HOLLOW VALVE HOUSING AND AN OVERLYING PART OF THE TOP WALL OF THE CONTAINER, AND AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL OPENING IN SAID TOP WALL POSITIONED RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE EDGE OF THE GUIDE OPENING AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE CENTRAL APERTURE OF THE RESILIENT SEALING DISK SUCH THAT UPON DELIVERY OF PROPELLANT UNDER PRESSURE FROM THE EXTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER THE INNER PORTION OF THE SEALING DISK IS DEFLECTED DOWNWARDLY TO UNSEAL THE PERIPHERY OF THE CENTRAL APERTURE FROM THE VALVE STEM TO PERMIT DELIVERY OF PROPELLANT TO THE INTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER THROUGH THE CENTRAL APERTURE OF THE SEALING DISK. 